gIta English sArodhdhAra - 4

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Dear hari bhaktas

 

Here is shrI Bannur Ramachandra Rao's English notes on the sixth and

seventh verses of the gIta sArodhdhAra.

 

kriShNa yenna bArade, kriShNa yendare kashTa ondishTilla

 

madhusudhana bhimasena rao

hunsur sriprasad

 

Shloka 6-47

=========

yoginAmapi sarveshAm madgatEnAntarAtmanA

sraddhAvAn bhajatE yO mAm sa mE yuktatamO mat:h

 

Word-by-word meaning:

==================

SarvEsham yOginAm(api) = of all yogis, that is, among the yogis

ya:h = who

sraddhAvAn = with devotion or dedicattion

bhajatE = worships

mAm = Me (Lord Krishna)

madgatEna antarAtmanA = with his mind fixed on Me

sa:h = he (is)

mE yuktatama:h = most worthy of Me

mata:h = this is My opinion

 

Summary:

========

Among the yogis (whose characteristics are defined in the verses preceding

this),

the one who devotedly worships Me with his mind always fixed on Me is, in My

opinion, the most worthy of My devotees.

 

Explanatory notes:

==============

We have seen that chapters 3,4 & 5 of the BG deal with the 'Nishkama karma

yoga', the importance of surrendering one's actions to God as His worship.

 

In Chapter six, Sri Krishna deals with the process of 'Dhyana', the method of

concentration on the Lord. It starts with stating that one who follows

'nishkamakarma yoga' is a 'sanyasi' or 'yogi', this being the first time the

word 'yogi' is used in this context. He clearly staes that a ' sanyasi' does

not mean renunciation of all actions and a sanyasi also has to perform his

duties, with detachment to the results.The Lord then deals with the way a

yogi should conduct himself while he concentrates on the Lord and gives

the procedure for 'dhyana'. This subject culminates in this last stanza of

the

chapter where stress is laid on the words 'madgatena antaratmana' and

'sraddhavan' , which stress that the main thing in dhyana' for a 'yogi' is to

fix

his mind on the Lord with full devotion. In other words, what is most

important is

the devotion or 'bhakti', incessant devotion to the Lord, along with

'nishkama

karma' and 'dhyana', these being the tools for it. With this back ground we

are

led to the seventh chapter, which deals with the knowledge of the supreme.

 

Shloka 7-28

=========

yEsham tvantagatam pApam janAnAm punyakarmaNam

tE dvandvamOhavirmuktA:h bhAjantE mAm dhridavrata:

 

Word-by-word meaning:

==================

yEsham = whose

punyakarmaNam janmAnAm = those who perform good deeds

antagatam pApam = whose bad deeds (their effects have reached

an

end (that is they are relieved of

them)

dvandvamOha vinirmuktAh = being devoid of the attachment causing the

dualities

like happiness and misery,profit

and loss etc.

dridhavrata:h = having their minds set on Me

tE = such persons

mAm bhajantE = will be My devotees.

 

Summary:

========

Only persons (exceptional) who always perform good deeds (according to their

varnashrama) and who have got over the effects of any bad deeds (who do not

have to suffer any more) and are devoid of the dual effects of happiness and

sorrow,

profit and loss etc.(who have overcome them) and are having their minds fixed

on Me shall be my true devotees.

 

Explanatory notes:

===============

This repesentative sloka of the 7th chapter occurs almost at the end of it.

This chapter starts with giving us the knowledge of the Lord as the one

present in all objects (living and non-living) and also the knowledge of His

extraordinary presence in some cases (jnana and vijnana). For example, the

knowledge that He is present

in water is 'sAmanya jnana' and the knowledge of His presence in its taste

and

in its quality to quench thirst is 'vijnana'.(sloka 8).

 

In the latter part of this chapter, Shri Krishna states how all beings are

affected

by 'Maya' ( Laxmi as Durga) by whose power the three qualities (sattva, rajas,

and tamas) affect the individual souls and make them act under their

influence.

This shloka gives the nature of those few exceptional jivas who perform only

good deeds and have got over the effects of bad deeds (pApa) and also got

over the

effects of dualties like pleasure and pain, profit and loss, and have their

minds always fixed on Sri Hari, it is them that He says are the best of His

devotees . As will be seen later in ch.12, it is such persons who are His

choicest devotees and qualify for moxa. In the last sloka of this chapter it

is stated that such persons

call the Lord's name even at the dying moment and by His Grace, attain Him.

This is what Srimadachaya exhorts in the Dvadasa stotra:

 

Santatam chintayEanantam antakAlE viseshata:h.